1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the construction of lined, wash-and-wear garments made in significant part from washable fabrics, and, more particularly, to the construction of attractive, durable, wash-and-wear blazers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wash-and-wear fabrics made from synthetics, such as polyester and synthetic-natural fiber blends, have been in use for decades for simple garments such as shirts. However, it has been more difficult to construct wash-and-wear lined garments such as blazers. The lining and outer garment fabric of blazers are typically made from different fabrics having different washability and shrinkage characteristics. Seams can be bulky, often requiring reinforcing interliners, such as tapes. After being washed in a water-based cleaning solution, such garments generally need pressing. In addition, these garments typically do not stand up well to repeated machine washing. The edges of the different materials tend to fray at their joining seams after one or more washings. Therefore, most users resort to relatively expensive and time-consuming dry-cleaning to keep their blazers presentable.
This is not a serious problem for a user who only occasionally wears a blazer. However, there are those who must wear the same garment almost every day in their profession, such as uniformed security guards and other uniformed service personnel, to whom dry-cleaning is an expensive inconvenience.
Therefore, there is a need for a construction for a durable, attractive, lined garment that can be washed repeatedly in an aqueous laundering solution without serious deleterious effect.